


All the King's Men

by Darnaguen



Series: All the King's Men [1]
Category: Pirates of the Caribbean (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-09
Updated: 2016-01-09
Packaged: 2018-05-12 18:06:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5675509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darnaguen/pseuds/Darnaguen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if James Norrington chose to go with Elizabeth in At World's End? An AU in drabble challenge snippets. Might evolve into a full-fledged story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	All the King's Men

—

“I thought this place was a fable.”

 _The Empress_ makes her way through the eerie silence, disturbed only by the creaking of the ancient hulls and the nervous muttering of the crew.

“To be honest? So did I.”

He chuckles, deep and weary. She must be as bone-tired as he is, her hair tangled from the brine and deep shadows under her doe-eyes.  
Still he thinks she looks luminous.

“We have both seen enough to have lost the luxury of disbelief.”

“I suppose we have, James,” comes the quiet reply.

***

The Hall of the Brethren is quiet now.

Soft plucking of the Spanish guitar creates an uncanny ambience with the ever-present creaking of the City around them, the wind whistling in its nooks and crannies. He suppresses a shudder as he steps into the warm, flickering light.

“Ah, Admiral! Good of you to join us.”

 _Not anymore_ , he almost sneers, but something in the pirate’s brittle smile gives him a pause.

“Sparrow,” he nods instead and shakes his head as the man in question breezes past with his usual swaggering grace.

—

“Your Majesty.”

Only the Pirate Lords are allowed to attend the Court, but word spreads fast - and if the bow he sweeps is ironic, genuine admiration laces the words.

She rolls her eyes, but her smile is soft as she regards him. They have known each other for a long time, but this is a fate neither could predict. Another shudder crawls down his spine.

Destiny, serendipity… concepts he, a practical man, never placed much value on. Did the hands of God truly shape people’s fates?  
_Which god?_ a small voice whispers in the back of his mind. He, too, has heard the song.

_“The King and his men stole the Queen from her bed and bound her in her bones…”_

—


End file.
